Yesterday's Man, Bluffing, Cedric Noel, and Bronze Medals
Yesterday’s Man - Self Titled
Alie Lynch and Gal Av-Gay are Vancouver indie music mainstays. Both have seen success with different bands, Lynch with Supermoon and Av-Gay with Dumb. Yesterday’s Man is their latest project, it also happens to be the third band they’ve played in together (TV Ugly & Megamall) and I believe it’s the first project they’ve worked on since the two tied the knot. The fact that they’re a couple is funny for me because it makes me think of my own relationship and the fact that their debut has become my wife and my go-to album that we can both always agree upon. The reason being that the two craft extremely listenable indie-rock tracks and seem to have a deep understanding of how to get the most out of each other (signs of a good marriage!). Within this pleasing indie-rock album you’ll find subtle slacker vibes, sauntering punk aesthetics. sugary-pop power, and even some beach soaked jams that help craft a unique sound with universal appeal. The two share vocal duties as well which helps keep the record sounding fresh from start to finish as both stand out as strong singers. All in all, this is one of the best albums I’ve heard so far this year.
Bluffing - Nature
Last year, one of the first releases I covered upon my return to the Cups N Cakes Network was the debut album from Calgary’s Bluffing. Less than a year after People Pleaser, they’re back, gifting us a three song EP entitled Nature. It’s wild to hear how much better this band has gotten in such a short time. On Nature, the songs are constructed in a more cohesive manner with all sounds sharing in their importance to each track while People Pleaser seemed to be hyper focused around the guitar. The band still bring their laissez-faire approach to post-punk that makes them unique among their peers, they just do it with a better understanding of what each member brings to the group. If this young band has improved this much in eight months, I cannot wait to hear how they continue to grow in the future.
Cedric Noel - guides
For over a decade, Montreal’s Cedric Noel has been churning out high-quality, heart-warming, bedroom-folk that culminated with his 2021 release, Hang Time. That album found its way onto multiple Best Of 2021 lists, including ours here at Cups N Cakes. We were all hoping for a quick turnaround on his next effort but sometimes we can’t always get what we want. Thankfully, at the very end of last year, Noel signalled his return with a surprise album called guides. He described this record as “half sung, half instrumental pieces” which had me thinking it would be more like demos but that’s not the case. If you give these songs your undivided attention, you’ll find there’s lots to love here and it’s definitely got me excited to hear what Cedric Noel might be cooking up next.
Bronze Medals - Enemy Music
On January first of this year, an instrumental band from Vancouver called Bronze Medals released an incredible debut statement. Using rhythmic repetition to their full advantage, these four songs deliver incredible trance-inducing paranoia. The rhythm section continuously chugs along with big bold baselines and urgent drums. The two players are on point, acting as one being while the horns and guitar explode with flourishes. The saxophone and trumpet squeals and skronks truly shine and add something unique and special to this nightmarish fusion of jazz and krautrock.
- Jeff MacCallum